


Fallen Hero Awakening

by Wesker20



Category: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén, Fallen Hero: Rebirth (Video Game)
Genre: Probable Canon Divergence, spoilers for retribution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-18 18:30:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20643731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wesker20/pseuds/Wesker20
Summary: Sidestep's puppet wake up and the two have a conversation.





	Fallen Hero Awakening

You sit quietly staring at them, waiting for the moment that they will wake up. Truthfully you did not expect this to happen, but you should have. All the times you seemingly lost control of their body, all the subtle movements, the growing sensation you were not alone in their head should have alerted you of their eventual awakening. But you ignored it and now here you are, waiting for your puppet to wake up, after feeling their presence in their mind. It was as simple as ever, you went to sleep and went into their minds, but this time you felt it as you felt it with every other person you possessed, a presence slowly pushing back. Theirs was weaker than most others of course, but still it was a sign that they were returning.

And now you wait. You wonder how this conversation will go, what will you tell them? Will they even remember you? or themselves? According to Mortum, Shroud drains everything, every single part of them, so if they wake up would they still be the same person? More yet, what will they choose? Will they leave you? Snitch on you? Follow you? So many questions and none of them answerable until they wake up.

Finally you hear it, the gasp of someone waking up from unconsciousness. They pant and shake with nervousness and sit up, looking around the room, not yet noticing you. And then they do; and their eyes widen in shock, fear, and recognition.

“Hi,” you say nonchalantly. Looks like that did not eased them in the slightest. “Want something? A glass of water, juice? A drink?” They don’t respond, instead simply stare at you with fear. You realize finally they know. “You know who I am?”

“I- I kno- I know what you are,” they finally say as they nod. Understanding what they mean, you roll up one of your sleeves and let them see your tattoos.

“This?” you ask. They nod. “Interesting. What do you remember?”

“Everything,” they respond immediately, still shaking. “I remember everything. Even the last two years.” You stand up, towering over them. You can sense their fear now; their emotions are shaken, on the loose, easy to feel.

“You haven’t answered my first question. Anything to drink?” You look at them and wait for an answer but they do not give it. “Listen I’m not going to hurt you.”

“You’ll forgive me for not being certain.”

“And why is that?” You ask, not that you don’t already know the answer.

“Are you kidding me? Two years! For two years you possessed and used my body” they begin but you cut them off.

“You were brain dead.”

“You did the same to others!”

“You were brain dead, there was nothing left of you-” you begin but they cut you off.

“That still doesn’t give you the right.”

“You would have rather being dead? Used for organs?” you ask them, remembering the tape. They don’t respond and look away, still angry. “I’m sorry,” you begin and walk a bit closer. You kneel down in front of them, making yourself be smaller than them, and looking up at them. “I don’t want to scare you. I want us to talk. And see where this goes.”

“I already know where it goes,” they say dismissively.

“Your precognitive abilities?” you say, more as a matter of fact than as a question. They nod. “You remember how to use them?”

“I do. But I can’t use all of it. I used to be able to see more… clearly. Here I’m just catching glimpses.”

“Even with all the training with Mortum?”

“The things you trained in I already knew. I could do much more than what you learned, but it’s like I try but-”

“You are out of practice,” you interject. They nod. It makes sense, like a muscle you have to practice and polish your powers. Spend too long without using them and they grow weaker and you cannot do things you normally could before. You stand up and head to the kitchen to prepare something for you. Even if they don’t want one, you need a drink. Then something lights up in your mind. You turn to them and say “You saw everything in that room, didn’t you?” You refer to the interrogation room, where Shroud absorbed them.

They nod. “I saw everything from two years and now.”

“Just how powerful were you?”

“I wasn’t. It was just at that moment, when she aimed that gun at me.” You nod, understanding.

“Adrenaline can supercharge your powers, make you capable of doing things you never expected to be capable off. I have experience,” you finish, remembering the Nanosurge. You did not had any idea what you tried would work, but it did. “How much did more did you see?”

“Only up until this point. After this things just stopped. I mean I got a couple of glimpses of… of Shroud and you.”

You stare at one another, you wondering what could it mean. “Did I killed her?”

They shake their head. “I don’t know.”

“You told her killing you would mean the end of her.”

“Because that’s what I thought, ok? When I saw you with her after seeing all the other things you did, I thought that that was what was going to happen.” You both grow silent once again. You can see the desperation in their eyes. Scared, hopeless. They want a way out. You begin to speak but they interrupt you. “Listen, like I said, I know where this is going. I saw this conversation the second I woke up, ok? I know what you are going to offer, and the answer is yes.”

You stare at them thoughtfully.

“She is out there and the second she sees me again I’m dead, again. So how about we continue going as if nothing happened, ok? You get rid of her and I’ll continue pretending to be you or your second in command or whatever.”

“How do you know I wouldn’t just shut down your brain again and use you as I always did?” you ask them because it’s the truth. You could just as easily shut their brain out and go back to how things were. Much less complicated than having them run around free.

They struggle for few seconds, thinking things through. “Honestly I’ll rather take that risk. With you that’s only a possibility. With her it’s a certainty. So either I go with you and hope you deem me useful enough to keep me, or I go out there, she finds me and sucks me out again.”

Huh, they are much smarter than you thought. You find it almost surprising considering how they were caught in the first place. “You might be able to fool Rosie and some of the criminals who don’t know you too well. But Ortega and Mortum? They won’t be fooled.”

“I’m a much better actor than you are,” they say suddenly, surprising you by their sudden surge of confidence.

“Is that so?” you say curious.

“Yes. I have all of your memories, I know how they act and react. I know how you acted while in me. And before that I was still just as good.”

“You were captured though,” you recall.

“After being followed for days. They had no idea of what I was doing. Until Shroud got impatient and simply decided to capture me. If it wasn’t for her I would have gotten away with it.” You give them a look, wondering if they really are that good.

“How can I be certain?” you ask.

“You have a free card into my head. Why don’t you try that and find out? That also goes if you want to know if I’m being honest.”

You remain quiet for a while. You could indeed do such a thing and since they know it they already laid out their options. They know you can tell if they lie. Then it hits you, they are still terrified but they are suddenly acting as if they are the top shit. You chuckle, is this their prove of their acting? You chuckle again and put your drink away. “Shroud is Ember’s right hand woman. Taking her out means taking Ember out otherwise he will take revenge on us.”

“Didn’t you already defeated him once?” they ask. It seems they really do have your memories.

“When he was a petty criminal. Now he is the most powerful mob boss in San Francisco. There’s only one other person powerful enough to fight them.” You pause letting it sink in of whom you are talking about. “And I crashed one of their parties so I doubt they would go to start a war over us.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

You close the distance, resting your hands on the chair’s handles, too close for their comfort and yours too, but you need to make your point clear here. “We are going to take down Hollow Ground.” you walk away from them again. “And I will take over. Soon after that I will have all the power I need to take out Ember and Shroud.” You turn to them smiling. “And when all of that is over, you can leave. And you will have the eternal gratitude of the most powerful mob boss in San Francisco and Los Diablos. No one will hurt you ever again.” You stare at them as they think things through.

“And then you will take them out with all of that power, aren’t you?”

You think of how to answer that. “That’s my business. What do you say, Are you ready for that, Ace?” you stress their name.

“I say,” they stand up meeting you in the middle of the room. “That my answer hasn’t changed. Yes.” Your smile grows a bit as they extend their hand. You shake it. “So what’s our next move, boss?”


End file.
